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The Institute for Holocaust, Genocide, and Memory Studies at the University of Massachusetts Amherst is a locus for research and teaching on the Holocaust, genocides, and events of mass violence as well as on the memory and representation of these historical occurrences.
Located near the center of campus in a historic Tudor-style house, with an attached lecture and exhibition hall, the Institute’s principal activities include teaching and research, conferences and workshops, public events and lectures, and visits to the permanent exhibition.
The Understanding Holocaust Environments Working Group
The Understanding Holocaust Environments working group explores how environments—physical and imagined—shaped the Holocaust and other forms of mass atrocity.
Bringing together perspectives from environmental history, climate studies, and Holocaust studies, the group examines how ideas about “nature” informed persecution and violence, how landscapes and weather affected survival and terror, and how human relationships to animals, resources, and ecosystems influenced both perpetrators and victims.
Focusing on meetings in 2026–2027, the group seeks to deepen understanding of “Nazi ecology” while also foregrounding victim experiences in relation to the natural world. Methodologically, participants are encouraged to combine material evidence—such as climate, geographic, biological, zoological, or archaeological data—with textual and testimonial sources including diaries, literature, newspapers, government reports, and survivor accounts. The group aims to foster interdisciplinary approaches that illuminate the complex interactions between human perception, environmental conditions, and mass violence.
In Memoriam: Alon Confino
Alon Confino, Director of the Institute for Holocaust, Genocide, and Memory Studies and Professor of History and Judaic and Near Eastern studies, passed away on June 27 after a long illness.
Alon Confino Memorial Lecture: Rescue and Remembrance with Kobi Kabalek on 4/30/2026
Recording of Alon Confino Memorial Event held at the IHGMS on 9/20/2024
Give to the Institute
The Institute relies on the generosity and support of a wide network of donors and supporters for its programs, collections, and events, and to keep the exhibition doors open for students and the public. Generous gifts from our founding donors have made it possible to bring and then open our permanent teaching exhibition, but we continue to rely on the gifts of community members, donors, alumni, and professionals to sustain the activities and mission of the Institute. Contributing Friends of the Institute will be recognized and thanked for their support with an annual Newsletter, invitations to special events, announcements, and public and private receptions.